Sparkyville, USAEpisode 1: Welcome Home, Sgt Brown
by HPDrummerman
Summary: Charlie Brown, now a sergeant in the USMC, comes back to Sparkyville and reunites with his buddies Linus, Schroeder, Franklin, and Pig Pen. He also pays a visit to his folks, who are thinking about retiring to Florida. They decide to leave the family house to Charlie and Sally, the latter of which so she can still have a place to stay as she goes to college.
1. 100 FANFICS!

**100 FANFICS!**

I am launching my new series _Sparkyville, USA_ and the very first episode is my 100th fanfic that I've written for ! I just want to say thank you to all who follow my fanfics whether it is _PEANUTS: The Next Chapter_, the _Lost Cause_ saga, the one-shots, or even my recently-launched Alternate PEANUTS stories which isn't part of any regular series, which I just launched with the recently completed "Breaking Point". And for the first episode of _Sparkyville, USA_ to be my 100th fanfic says a lot! Thank you all again, and here is the first episode, "Welcome Home, Sgt. Brown".

~HPDrummerman~


	2. Chapter 1

Episode 1: Welcome Home, Sgt. Brown

**CHAPTER 1: CATCHING UP WITH THE BOYS**

It was a crisp night in Sparkyville. Most folks were winding down their work day and either watching TV or going to bed early. But for USMC Staff Sergeant Charlie Brown, it meant hitting up the local bar and catching up with four of his closest friends. He had just settled back into his folks home, at least temporarily until he could find a place of his own, as there were no military bases for him to stay on in Sparkyville, despite being transferred to the recruitment center. He was fine with it, being his hometown and all, but he never thought he'd return there, except to visit his folks.

As he parked his SUV at the bar, he walked in and saw his buddies, Linus, Schroeder, Franklin, and Matt aka Pig Pen. A smile went across his face.

"Hey, you mothers!" he boomed. "Look who's back in town!"

"CHARLIE!" the guys shouted. And they went over to hug their friend.

"Man, I'm glad to see you, homey!" said Franklin.

"So are you here for good?" asked Linus.

"I start at the recruitment center in a week," said Charlie. "They're giving me a couple of Lance Corporals to help out."

"This is awesome!" said Schroeder. "Where are you staying right now?"

"I'm at my parent's house for now," Charlie replied, "but that's only until I can find my own place here in town."

"You could stay with me downtown, Charlie," Linus offered.

"Thanks, Linus, but I should get my own," said Charlie. "But you know I will come over all the time!"

"That's cool, man," said Linus.

"Hey, fellas," said a shapely curly-haired redhead. "Who's the army boy here?"

"Frieda, baby, you should know who this is," said Pig Pen. She gasped when she saw who it was.

"Charlie Brown?!" said a shocked Frieda.

"How've you been, Frieda?" said Charlie.

"OH MY GOD!" Frieda squealed. She immediately hugged him. "It's so good to see you, honey! You turned out to be handsome!"

"Thanks," Charlie said, not sure what to make of the compliment.

"Frieda and I are an item now, Charlie," said Pig Pen.

"Really?" said Charlie. "When did you two actually start dating?"

"Not too long after we graduated," said Frieda. "Pig Pen literally cleaned up his act and actually offered to take me out one day. As it turned out, he is very nice and sweet. I finally found out there was a Prince Charming under all that dirt and dust."

"I actually manage to keep clean these days, dude," Pig Pen added.

"I can tell, you're not the same dusty kid you once were," Charlie noted. Turning to his other friends, he asked, "So any of you guys dating anyone?"

"Well, I'm with your sister's best friend Eudora," said Franklin. "We've been an item for a year now."

"I've dated off and on," said Linus. "Still looking for Mrs. Right, and not Mrs. Right-Now!"

"I get it, man," said Charlie. "How about you, Schroeder?"

"Nah, no time for dating," said Schroeder. "My lady-love is my music."

"Same ol' Schroeder!" laughed Charlie. And the friends all continued to catch up on their lives. Charlie wasn't dating anyone, either, but he still hoped to find the right woman for him now that he was back home.

**NEXT CHAPTER: SALLY IN COLLEGE?!**


	3. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2: CATCHING UP WITH THE BROWNS**

The next day, Charlie was with his parents, Silas and Maureen, and his sister, Sally, eating brunch. His father still worked at the barber shop, but was considering retirement, and Maureen was also ready for a change of scenery. But with Sally in college still, they needed to wait to sell the house. And Charlie was looking for a place of his own, so they figured it was time.

"So are you going to just get rid of it, or keep it as a rental property and make some money?" asked Charlie.

"We don't know yet, son," said Silas, "but we wanted to discuss it with you and Sally first. Now Sally, I know you're still going to college and you want to not have to pay to rent a dorm, so we will stay until you graduate."

"I couldn't ask you to do that," said Sally. "I can stay with Eudora. She said it was okay."

"Plus with me looking for a home, it wouldn't be a problem," added Charlie. "I say just wait until our situations are ironed out, then move to wherever you want to. Where are you thinking, anyway?"

"The retirement capitol, Florida," announced Silas.

"We want the warm weather," added Maureen. "And with you kids going out on your own, we won't need this home anymore. Wait! I have an idea."

"What's that, Maureen?" asked Silas.

"Si, we could leave the house to Charlie and Sally," suggested Maureen. "That way, Charlie, you'll have a place to stay without having to find a new place, and Sally, you can still stay at home while in school. And whoever wants to keep the place after Sally's graduation, it's theirs."

"Really?" said Sally.

"That don't sound bad," agreed Charlie.

"Exactly," said a smiling Maureen. "Plus we could STILL move down to Florida and come back up to Sparkyville to visit the kids for holidays."

"I think I'm game for this," said Silas. "Kids?"

"I'm on board," said Charlie. "Sally?"

"I think it's unanimous!" said a beaming Sally.

"We still need to find a condo down in Florida," Silas stated. "So we won't be going down immediately. I will be flying down to scope out some properties next week, though. So for now, you two are stuck with us until then."

"We don't mind!" said Charlie and Sally in unison.

Elsewhere, at Grant Industries, a tall, dark-haired woman who's hair was in a bun, wearing stiletto heels, and wore a business suit consisting of a dark purple skirt, a matching jacket, and a white button-up shirt underneath, walked down the hallways towards the office of owner, Grant Gray. She was walking with a purpose, as she was the new COO of the company. Grant would stay on as Chairman and CEO, but this woman would run the day-to-day operations. She had just graduated from college with a business degree so she was ready.

As the woman stepped into the office, Grant turned around in his chair and beamed happily. "Welcome to the company, honey!"

"Thank you, daddy!" It was Violet. She had become the new COO of her father's company. She was ready to make him proud of his little girl.

"Are you ready to run things around here?" Grant asked his daughter.

"I've been ready since I was a kid," a gung-ho Violet said with a smile.

"Okay then, I'll show you to your office, and then introduce you to the staff and your personal secretary." And Grant took Violet around the building where she met the staff and folks she would be managing. She was ready to run her father's company, but unbeknownst to the workers there, it would be with an iron fist!

**NEXT CHAPTER: MORE CATCHING UP TO DO**


	4. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3: WHAT HAS EVERYONE BEEN UP TO?**

"So how long have you've been at the library, Linus?" asked Charlie. He was having coffee with Linus at a local coffee shop.

"Since graduating from college," Linus responded. "I figured I could do more for education by working at the library and getting people to read more. I still have my degree in teaching to fall back on if needed."

"Well, whatever works, I guess," said Charlie. "Any word on what Peppermint Patty and Marcie are up to?"

"Well Marcie left town after high school. No one knows where she is. She don't even talk to her parents anymore due to them constantly pressuring her to study as a kid. She finally cut them off after we graduated, but Patty doesn't know where she's at, either. It's like she's dropped off the grid."

"Wow! How about Patty? How is she doing?"

"Well, after she barely graduated, she was pretty much done with anything school-related. She's now working at Ray's, that Greasy Spoon on the west side of town. I think she's a waitress. You should pop in for a coffee, but don't eat the food, unless you want heartburn up the ass! But she would be happy to see you."

"I don't doubt it, Linus. Oh, how long has Frieda and Pig Pen been an item?"

"Well, after we all graduated, they started getting serious at our all-night senior party, and have been inseparable since. But what Pig Pen doesn't know is that Frieda is a chronic flirt!"

"Really?"

"Yes! While she's never cheated on Pig Pen, at least not yet, she will be quick to flirt with any guy that comes her way. It's in her nature."

"Well what does Pig Pen say about this?"

"Nothing. In fact, I don't even think he's aware of it!"

"Have you guys talked to him about her flirtatious behavior?"

"We all agreed not to be involved in that and let it work itself out."

"I just hope Pig Pen isn't being set up for heartbreak. Anyway, who have you seen lately?"

"Well, a few girls here and there, but we never quite clicked. Of course, your sister is still pinning for me, but I keep telling her that me and her will never happen. Least of all for the fact that she's your sister, and I won't date my best friend's sister out of respect. Plus, I really only like her as a friend, nothing more or less."

"I don't doubt that, Linus. On another subject, what's happening with Lucy and her prison sentence?"

"Well in a few months she's up for parole. Schroeder is not liking that, so he talked to the D.A. about placing a permanent restraining order on her when she did come out of prison.

"Wow, he really is trying to avoid her, isn't he?"

"Well, after she attacked that intern who was only talking to Schroeder thinking she was setting up a date with him, he doesn't want to be around her. He doesn't even believe that her court-ordered anger management courses are going to do any kind of good."

"Well, talking from experience, I'm taking a 'Let's just wait and see' approach, myself."

"I do get it, Charlie. And I understand where both of you are coming from." And the two men continued to chat a while at the coffee shop.

**NEXT CHAPTER: VIOLET MOVES IN**


	5. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4: A NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN**

As Charlie and Linus were catching up over coffee, at that same time, Violet was settling in to her new position as COO of Gray Industries. Her father was there to show her around. While she had been there many times before, very rarely did she actually see the inner workings of the company. As her father showed her around, she was introduced to the workers at the office who kept the company going. For her part, Violet was cordial to her soon-to-be subordinates. She wanted them to respect her as their boss and there would be no problems. While she would run a tight schedule, she would also reward anyone who does a good job with a bonus.

As the tour was over, Violet went to her new office. She had a secretary named Maria. Maria would be the go-between to see Violet. Her father walked in to see how she was settling in.

"So how are you doing so far, pumpkin?" he asked.

"Pretty good, daddy," said Violet.

"Great! Next week, we have a group on interns starting out here for their semester. Make sure you make them welcome."

"I will, daddy. I promise."

"Now one of those interns you may know. You remember a Sally Brown?"

"As in Charlie Brown's younger sister?!"

"That would be her. She just so happens to be one of the interns. I'm sure you'll make her feel at ease here at Grant Industries."

"Oh I will, daddy! Don't you worry." And as Grant left the office, a sinister grin came across her face.

"So ol' Failure-Face's sister is interning here, eh?" she said to herself, chuckling with evilness. "This should be interesting, indeed."

Later at the Brown household, Charlie and Sally were talking about her upcoming internship. Charlie was worried because, while Grant Gray was a kind, honest man, his daughter, and Charlie's biggest tormentor not named Lucy, was anything but.

"All I'm saying is be careful, Sally," he told her out of concern. "Rumor has it that Violet has now become COO of Grant Industries."

"Just because you two didn't get along doesn't mean it will carry over to me," said Sally. "No offense, but we have been total opposites all our lives."

"Touché, Sally," said Charlie, " but still, watch yourself. While I trust her father, I don't trust her! I wouldn't put it past her to use you as a whipping girl, thinking that you are like how I was back in the day."

"You really are concerned about me, aren't you?"

"I am. I don't want that bitch trying anything with my baby sister."

"I'm so glad you came home, Charlie. It looks like the Marines gave you that bravery you never had when we were kids."

"The Marines gave me a lot more to improve my self-esteem, Sally." And both siblings continued to chat for a bit before their parents came home.

**NEXT CHAPTER: FLORIDA-BOUND**


	6. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5: HEADING SOUTH**

The next week had arrived. Silas had flown down to Orlando to look at a condo near the resort areas. He found one that would possibly be nice for him and Maureen. He was discussing with the realtor about reserving the condo so he could tie up loose ends back in Sparkyville. The realtor accepted a down payment on the condo and allowed them time to take care of all things they needed to first.

Charlie Brown had started his job at the recruitment center. His lance corporals would not arrive until the following week. He settled into his new position. He also had a secretary named Heidi. As he was getting his office ready, one of his superiors, Colonel Yancy Clarke, paid him a visit and to brief him on the job.

"Sergeant Brown," said the colonel.

"Yes, sir!" answered Charlie. They exchanged salutes.

"As you know you will be stationed here at the Sparkyville Recruitment Center as your main base of work," the colonel said. "Joining you will be Lance Corporal Ray and Lance Corporal Jennings. Jennings, in particular, is also from Sparkyville, one of the latest soldiers to become a lance corporal. Take these men under your wing and instruct them on how to recruit new folks for the marines. Understood?"

"Yes, sir!" Charlie responded.

"All right, sergeant, I leave you to your work. Looks like your still getting settled, so I'll let you continue on."

"Aye, aye, sir," said Charlie, who again saluted the colonel, who did the same. Then the colonel left the office."

Over at the library, Linus was re-shelving some books when a blonde-haired woman came in. Linus took a good look at her. He swore he had seen her before when he was a kid and still carried a blanket around (He kept his blanket into adulthood, but now only kept it in his closet with other childhood items). He watched the woman check out a book by one of the clerks. She thanked the clerk in a rather soft, high-pitched voice.

"Where have I seen her before?" he wondered to himself.

At Ray's diner, a auburn-haired woman with a ton of freckles on her face was serving customers their meals. She went over to one of her regular customers to chat a bit and take his order.

"Hey, Joe!" she said to him. "How's life driving that big rig on the road these days?"

"Pretty good, Pat," said Joe. "Was hoping you'd be working, beautiful."

"Are you kidding? I practically live here!"

"Any luck on finding that guy you told me about? That Charlie guy?"

"Nope. From what I've heard he was supposed to be back in town. I don't think he knows I work here, yet."

"Well, he might just stop in soon. You never know."

"Anyway, enough about my crush. I take it you want the usual, eh?"

"You got it, beautiful!"

Pat turned to Ray, the cook/owner of the diner. "Hey, Ray! One T-Bone, medium rare, two eggs, scrambled with cheese, American fries with onions, and biscuits with red-eye gravy!

"Joe must be back from the road," said Ray.

"You know it!" said Pat.

"All right, Reichardt, I'm on it!" said Ray, as he got the order prepared. The waitress went to the back as she waited for her order to be finished. She went out to smoke a cigarette. She pulled out an old picture of her and an old crush of hers. As she stared at the old picture, a tear formed from her eye.

"Will I ever see you again, Chuck?"

**THE END**


End file.
